The Byzness, 21st April 2025
Oxford University Byzantine Society
THE OXFORD UNIVERSITY BYZANTINE SOCIETY
The Byzness, 21st April 2025
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1.
NEWS AND EVENTS
2. CALLS FOR PAPERS
3. JOBS AND SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
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1. NEWS AND EVENTS
'Shifting Fortunes in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages', University of Edinburgh’s 6th international graduate conference in Late Antique, Islamic and Byzantine Studies - Programme and Registration
The fortunes of individuals, communities and states in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages were far from fixed certainties, and whilst any number of sudden crises and exigencies could bring fortunes crashing down, there was also ample opportunity for them to be built up, transformed, and consolidated. Therefore, securing one’s fortunes, be they political, economic or spiritual, was of paramount importance to all members of late antique and medieval societies. Whether in the imperial cities of Constantinople and Rome, the caliphal courts of Baghdad, Cordoba and Cairo, or in the courts of Paris and Léon, decisions were made, edicts and chrysobulls were issued, taxes were raised, theologies were disputed, and wars were waged, all in the name of securing the good fortune of ruling interests. Beyond the actions of caliphs, emperors and kings, one is greeted by an assortment of ways in which individuals and communities sought to enhance their own fortunes, be it through pious dedications, participation in religious ritual, production or patronage of literature, economic activities or acts of rebellion. On the other hand, a drop in fortunes could be heralded by environmental factors, such as plague, famine, drought, or through instances of external and internal conflict like invasion, civil war and fitnah.
This conference aims to focus on this theme of shifting fortunes through a diverse interdisciplinary lens, and examines both the factors underpinning change, as well as the various processes and dynamics through which the creation, consolidation, and collapse of fortunes came to pass.
We are pleased to announce that the programme and registration for the University of Edinburgh’s 6th international graduate conference in Late Antique, Islamic and Byzantine Studies are now live. The conference is a hybrid format, and will take place in person on the 22nd and 23rd of April and will also be streamed via Zoom. Further details, including the full programme and registration form can be found here.
Please direct any queries to byzant...@ed.ac.uk
John of Ephesus Lecture by Stefan Esders, Frankfurt-Leuven
The Frankfurt-Leuven project “Commentary on John of Ephesus’s Ecclesiastical History” is organizing a series of occasional lectures on John of Ephesus. These are open to the public via Zoom. The next lecture will be given by Stefan Esders (FU Berlin) on Monday, 28 April, at 4:30 pm CEST (3:30 pm London time). Stefan will be talking on “New Theodosii, born in the purple: Observations on imperial succession in the Life of Porphyry of Gaza and in John of Ephesus’ Ecclesiastical History”.
The Zoom link can be found here.
Transmitting and Preserving Languages in the Medieval and Early Modern Mediterranean
Date: 5th June 2025
Venue: Balliol College, Massey Room (Oxford OX1 3BJ)
Convenors: Daniel Gallaher and Ugo Mondini (University of Oxford)
The workshop explores how and why languages were taught, learned, and sustained across the diverse and shifting socio-cultural landscapes of the late medieval and early modern Mediterranean. Integrating history with historical sociolinguistics and adopting a comparative and cross-disciplinary perspective, the workshop aims to identify shared trends, comparable elements, and distinctive features in language learning and transmission. This approach offers a renewed perspective on the interconnected Mediterranean world—a region where multilingualism, mobility, and intercultural exchange were and are central to daily life. The impact of these dynamics on language teaching, preservation, and use has often been underestimated.
The event will include dedicated time for discussion and reflection, allowing participants to engage in a broader conversation about language, identity, and cultural transmission. At its core, the project reimagines the medieval and early modern Mediterranean, not merely as a space of teaching, learning, and multilingual exchange.
Speakers: Speakers: Samet Budak (ANAMED Koç University); S. Peter Cowe (UCLA); Erica Field-Marchello (Exeter College, Oxford); Mark Janse (University of Cambridge); Michiel Leezenberg (University of Amsterdam); Giorgia Nicosia (Ghent University); Lucy Parker (University of Nottingham).
For more information about the programme and to register for online attendance, please contact Ugo Mondini at ugo.m...@mod-langs.ox.ac.uk.
Digital Byzantine Studies: Current Methods and Future Applications, Maison Française, Oxford
Friday 16 May, 9:30am - 7:30pm
In recent years, related fields such as Classical and Medieval Studies have made significant progress in developing auxiliary disciplines—papyrology, epigraphy, numismatics, and linguistics—through the use of digital tools. Byzantine Studies, however, still lag behind in this area. Institutions like Sorbonne University, the University of Cologne, and the CNRS Orient & Méditerranée (Paris) have recently come together to apply digital methods to Byzantine sources, including seals, manuscripts, and coins. Nevertheless, more work is needed to establish standardized, reliable methodologies and sustainable data practices, particularly through engagement with broader digital initiatives in Classics and Medieval Studies. This workshop will explore XML encoding and AI applications in areas such as digital palaeography, sigillography, and epigraphy (using TEI and EpiDoc for post-classical Greek); prosopography (via the PROSOPON consortium); numismatics (AI-assisted EpiDoc for coin inscriptions); and papyrology and manuscript studies (ontology-based metadata description).
All welcome!
This workshop is made possible through the support of the DigiByzSeal project, funded by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR) and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), the University of Cologne, Sorbonne University (Initiative Circulation médiévales – MeCir), the CNRS (UMR 8167 Orient & Méditerranée, Paris), the VolkswagenStiftung-funded initiative “Creating a Sustainable Digital Infrastructure for Research-Based Teaching in Byzantine Studies” based at the University of Cologne, and the Maison française d'Oxford.
PROGRAMME
9:30 Introduction
Session 1 – Modelling data in Byzantium and beyond
10:00–10:50 Charlotte Tupman (Exeter): TEI modeling of the new PLRE
10:50–11:40 Martina Filosa (Cologne), Claes Neuefeind (Cologne), Claudia Sode (Cologne), and Alessio Sopracasa (Paris): A search engine for Byzantine sigillography
11:40–12:30 Jonathan Prag (Oxford): Modelling data integration in ancient epigraphy: the FAIR Epigraphy ontology and related projects
12:30–14:00 Lunch break
Session 2 – Visualizing text, images, and connections
14:00–14:50 Staffan Wahlgren (Trondheim): Computational approaches to Byzantine Greek
14:50–15:40 Sviatoslav Drach (Cologne): Imaging techniques (3D, RTI) and semantic annotations for Byzantine seals
15:40–16:30 Dominic Oldman (London): Ontology and data modelling for Greek manuscripts collections
16:30–16:50 Coffee break
Session 3 – Artificial intelligence applied to text-bearing objects
16:50–17:40 Isabelle Marthot-Santaniello (Basel): AI and the paleography of Greek and Byzantine papyri
17:40–18:30 Joe Sheppard (Oxford), and Marguerite Spoerri Butcher (Oxford): EpiDoc-based and AI-aided edition of coins
18:30–19:20 Round table and open discussion moderated by Charlotte Roueché (London)
19:20–19:30 Concluding remarks
20:00 Dinner for invited speakers
OCHJS: Applications are open for the Oxford Biblical Hebrew Summer School 2025
We are happy to announce that the Oxford Biblical Hebrew Summer School will take place from August 26 – September 5, 2025. This year the school is being offered online (via Zoom).
The school offers nine days of intensive teaching in Biblical Hebrew. Each weekday, there will be 3 hours of teaching, delivered in two separate 90-minute sessions, from 11.30-13.00 and 14.00-15.30 UK time.
The course corresponds to two full terms of intensive teaching for a full-time university student. It is open to students with or without experience of the language. For the former, it offers a chance to review and consolidate what they have previously learnt. For the latter, it will provide a strong foundation from which to begin formalized study of Biblical Hebrew.
The cost of the school is £290 per student for 27 hours of language instruction, including all video recordings of the lectures. This does not include any textbooks/workbooks, which the student will be expected to acquire for him/herself.
Closing date for applications: Friday 11 July 2025 (places are limited)
Please see the leaflet with further information here.
The application form and further information may be downloaded here.
Please complete and return the application form by email to Dr Stephen Herring: stephen...@ames.ox.ac.uk, or by mail to OBHSS, Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, Clarendon Institute, Walton Street, Oxford, OX1 2HG
Successful applicants will be notified as soon as possible upon submission of application.
All this information can also be found on our website here.
For general enquiries about the course, please email Dr Stephen Herring: stephen...@ames.ox.ac.uk
BH Field School – History and Archaeology of Medieval Chios
The course aims to introduce students to field reconnaissance, landscape archaeology, historical topography and monumental architecture of the Byzantine-to-the-post Byzantine period (roughly from the 10th–11th century to the 1600s). During the field survey, we will study the elements and components that make up the historic landscape of Chios island (human activity such as settlement patterns, monumental architecture, watchtowers, rural churches, defensive works, and material culture). Hiking along selected medieval trails will give students insights into other archaeological features, such as manor houses, rural towers of the great landowners, peasant architecture, farmsteads, irrigation systems, mills, and the like. Participants will trace the evolution of the Byzantine settlement pattern from the dispersed settlement to the fortified (compact-clustered) village and its components. The field school is part of an ongoing project, whose goal is to compile an archaeological inventory of the NW region of Chios.
The field school is designed for students and young specialists in heritage, history and archaeology, but we also welcome anyone interested in:
- Medieval civilization in Southeastern Europe.
- Cultural heritage preservation.
- Heritage sites in the Aegean Sea and Chios island in particular.
The school will run from August 30th – September 12th.
Registrations are now open, see here for more information.
For more information on potential funding for the field school please see their recommendations here.
King’s College London Ancient Languages Summer School 2025 - Intensive courses in Ancient Greek and Latin
N.B. - the early bird discount rate expires at the end of April.
King’s College London offers two six-week courses (30 June – 8 August 2025) in Ancient Greek and Latin. These courses offer students who have not previously had the opportunity to study Greek or Latin intensive training designed to bring them from complete beginners to a point where they are able to read simple texts. They are ideal for students who intend to study for a Masters or Doctoral degree to get ahead during the summer, thus acquiring an essential skill for their future research. They are also appropriate for teachers, undergraduates, mature students and anyone with an interest in the Hellenic or Roman world.
It is also possible for complete beginners to take just the first half of the course (30 June – 18 July), and for those who already have a basic knowledge to take the second half of the course (21 July - 8 August).
Students may choose to study on campus or online.
Students may choose to take the courses with or without an examination (£945 without exam; £1208 with exam per 3-week course).
The deadline is 30 May. There is an early bird discount of 5% for applications received before the end of April.
For further details and to make an application see here.
Marco Summer (Syriac and Latin) Language Program 2025 – University of Tennessee
Registration is NOW OPEN for the 2025 Marco Summer Language Program! The program provides non-credit medieval language training for six to eight weeks every summer. This year, in addition to our traditional offerings of Beginner/Review Latin, Intermediate Readings in Medieval Latin, and Advanced Readings in Medieval Latin, we're pleased announce a brand new course in Beginner Syriac (taught by one of the foremost educators in the field)! Information about each course is listed below!
Beginner Syriac
A rigorous eight-week overview of the basics of Syriac. Suitable for the energetic and committed beginner, or as a review for students of any level who want to brush up. Textbook information will be available later from your instructor.
Instructor: George Kiraz
Modality: Online (Zoom)
Dates: May 27 – July 3
Times: 10:00-11:30am Eastern
Beginner Syriac will meet on a MTWTh schedule except for in those weeks that have holidays (Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day), in which case the class will meet during the four non-holiday days of the week.
To register for one of the Marco Summer Language classes, please email the Marco Institute at ma...@utk.edu with the following information:
- Your name (first & last)
- Your email address
- Departmental/Institutional affiliation
- Status (BA/MA/Ph.D. student/Faculty/Staff/Other) and field (e.g., History, English, etc.)
- Course title(s) and section number that are you are signing up for (Participants may take both a Beginner/Review and an Intermediate/Advanced course simultaneously for no additional charge)
The program is free of cost for UT Knoxville students, faculty, staff, and alumni. There is a program fee of $500 for other participants (or a reduced fee of $250 for UT System participants), payable online prior to the beginning of class. Payment instructions will be emailed to you once registration closes. If classes fill, you will be added to a waitlist.
The deadline for registration will be May 16, 2025.
If you have questions, please visit marco.utk.edu/summerlanguages, or feel free to contact me at any time! And please feel free to share with your friends, colleagues, and networks!
Beyond Church and State. Frameworks of Ritualised Identification in Long Late Antiquity, 3-4 July 2025, Berlin
The conference will take place in person at the Freie Universität Berlin, on 3-4 July 2025. Attendance is free, but prior registration is necessary. Please get in touch at micha...@fu-berlin.de to register, or for further information. The schedule follows:
PROGRAMME
Thursday 3 July
9.30: Registration & Refreshments
9.45: Welcome & Introduction
10.00: IMPERIAL CEREMONIES IN NON-IMPERIAL CONTEXTS
Audrey Becker (Université de Franche-Comté): Becoming Emperor: Gestures and Political Ideology in Imperial Investiture Ceremonies
Vladimir Ivanovici (University of Lugano): Specular Authority: Episcopal Ceremonials as Reflections of Imperial and Divine Power in Early Byzantium
11.30: Refreshments
12.00: AUTHORITY, RITUAL, AND RULER–SUBJECT DYNAMICS
Christian Rollinger (Universität Trier): The Two Suns of Empire. Church, State, and Ritual Conflict in Long Late Antiquity
Damián Fernández (Northern Illinois University): ‘An Inquest before the Masses’: Assemblies, Gatherings, and the Administration of Justice in Post Imperial Hispania
13.30: Lunch
15.00: CEREMONIAL REPUTATIONS AND REPUTATIONAL CEREMONIES
Michael Wuk (Freie Universität Berlin): Warring Alongside the Gods: Swearing Oaths and International Relations in Late Antiquity
Julia Winnebeck (Universität Bonn): A Bitter Pill to Swallow: The Religious and Socio-Legal Functions of Penance in Merovingian Gaul (c. 500–800)
16.30: Refreshments
17.00: RITUALS AND BUILT ENVIRONMENTS
Max Ritter (University of Silesia in Katowice): From Groundbreaking to Inauguration: Rituals in Byzantine Building Culture between Sacred and Secular Realms
Harry Mawdsley (University of Durham): Retained, Repurposed, or Relinquished? Public Entertainment Venues and Ceremonial Spaces in the Post-Roman West
Friday 4 July
9.30: Refreshments
9.45: RITUALISED FRAMEWORKS OF COMMUNAL LIFE
Conor Whately (University of Winnipeg): Rituals and Roman Rank-and-File in Late Antiquity
Hannah-Lena Hagemann (Universität Hamburg): ‘Do (Not) Pray Behind the Innovators’: Ritual Prayer, Political Allegiance, and Community Formation in Early Islam
11.15: Refreshments
11.45: CROSSING RELIGIOUS BOUNDARIES
Maureen Attali (Université Paris Nanterre): Jews Visiting Tombs in Late Antiquity: From Roman Burial Practices to the Christian Cult of the Saints
Matthieu Pignot (Université de Namur): The Power of Conversion Rituals in Late Antique Italian Hagiography (c. 300–750 AD)
13.15: Lunch
14.45: CEREMONIAL MAGIC AND MAGICAL CEREMONIES
Joseph Emanuel Sanzo (Università Ca'Foscari Venezia): Liturgy as Magic: Performance, Materiality, and Protection in Late Antiquity
Ágnes Tóthé Mihálykó (Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften): The Church as Courtroom: Accessing Divine Justice in the Context of the Eucharist
16.30: Response and end of conference
Processes of Epistolary Communication in the Middle Ages, Utrecht University, 12-13 June 2025
Registration is now open for the workshop Processes of Epistolary Communication in the Middle Ages, which will take place 12-13 June 2025 at Utrecht University.
Our workshop aims to foster conversation between scholars who work on Greek, Arabic, and Latin letters in the Mediterranean world between c. 400 and 1000 CE. Confirmed speakers include Petra Sijpesteijn (Leiden), Floris Bernard (Ghent), Marco Cristini (Florence), Bruno Marien (Leuven), Antonia Bosanquet (Utrecht), Laury Sarti (Freiburg), Jelle Bruning (Leiden), Peter Darby (Nottingham), Matthijs Zoeter (Ghent), Anne Sieberichs (Utrecht), Yasmine Amory (Paris), and Madalina Toca (Bamberg).
Papers will be thirty minutes, followed by ample time for question and discussion. The workshop will consider questions such as:
- Definitions of the letter
- Reasons for writing a letter
- Evidence of the materiality and physical formats of letters
- Selection and identities of letter carriers and messengers
- Travelling and roads in the Mediterranean world
- Delivering and performing letters
- Authors and audiences of letters
- Reuse and recirculation of letters outside their original context
The workshop is organized by the NWO-VIDI project Lettercraft and Epistolary Performance in Early Medieval Europe, 476-751. This project approaches the medieval letter as a performative medium that was read out aloud, translated and circulated in public. It explores how the letter was thus able to establish lines of communication between diverse social groups and across political boundaries and language-barriers, making it an essential tool for conflict-resolution and consensus-building in a world with rudimentary infrastructure and limited public order.
Participation is free. To register, please contact the conference organizers, Dr Robert Flierman and Dr Hope Williard, at lette...@uu.nl
The Lettercraft project is funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO). Additional financial support for the workshop is provided by the Dutch Research School for Medieval Studies.
The program can be found here.
2. CALLS FOR PAPERS
The Anthological Habit in Slavonic Translation - ICBS Vienna 2026
Deadline 23 April 2025
XXV International Conference of Byzantine Studies (Vienna, 24–29 August 2026)
The conveners invite papers that explore the Slavonic reception of what in Byzantine studies is known as the Byzantine ‘culture du recueil’ (cultura della syllogè) or florilegic/anthological habit. In the centuries of doctrinal disputes that led up to the Triumph of orthodoxy (843) collections of proof texts from Scripture and the Fathers were used on both sides of the doctrinal divide to prop the argument, and from the 10th century onwards compilations of selected texts from the past played a pivotal role in knowledge transfer and instruction, as voices with authority and prescriptive power. Within an orthodox culture, compendia of useful knowledge lent themselves well to demonstrate, defend, and impose orthodoxy – e.g. in compilations as the Soterios, in questions-and-answers as those by Anastasius Sinaita, in synthetic works as John Damascene’s, in chronicles as that of George the Monk etc.
With this workshop, we want to explore how this anthological attitude played a role in the conversion of the Slavs and in the consolidation of Slav Christianity, how it shaped the influx of Byzantine Greek texts into the Slav world, and how it was received in Slavonic translation literature of the early and later period (between the 9th and the 15th century).
We invite proposals for presentations of 20’ that approach aspects of Slavonic translation literature against the background of Byzantine collections and compilation literature.
Topics of note include (but are not restricted to): modes of text production; processes of textual reuse and renewal; circulation and transmission; levels of authorship; compilation and composition; open tradition.
Please send a title and short abstract (max. 300 words) of your proposed presentation to the conveners, together with five key words and your affiliation, by April 23, 2025. You can submit your abstract in English, French or German. The workshop will have the form of a thematic session of free communications that will be organized in the framework of the XXV International Conference of Byzantine Studies (Vienna, 24–29 August 2026) on “Byzantium beyond Byzantium”. (Please note the ICBS organizers restrict the participation of conveners and speakers to no more than 2 sessions during the Congress.)
We will support the registration/travel/accommodation costs of each of the participants with a fixed sum of € 350, provided by the Slavonic Metaphrasis of Byzantine Orthodoxy research project, which is carried out at KU Leuven as part of an Innsbruck/Leuven collaborative WEAVE project (2024–2027).
Questions may be addressed to any of the undersigned.
The conveners,
Evelyne Diels (evelyn...@kuleuven.be)
Lara Sels (lara...@kuleuven.be)
Reinhart Ceulemans (reinhart....@kuleuven.be)
The Ancient Mediterranean and the British Museum: Pasts and Futures.' Institute of Classical Studies and British Museum Department of Greece and Rome, 25 - 27 February 2026
The Department of Greece and Rome at the British Museum and the Institute of Classical Studies are inviting proposals for contributions to a conference exploring the past impact and future potential of the Museum’s collections from the ancient Mediterranean world.
This conference is being organised in the context of the British Museum’s ‘Masterplan’, a once-in-a-century opportunity to redisplay and re-interpret the collections from the ancient Mediterranean, Egypt, Assyria and the Middle East for twenty-first century publics. The Department of Greece and Rome is one of the Museum’s curatorial departments leading this work.
To avoid the repetition of old narratives, and to ensure that the redisplay of the galleries is based on a comprehensive reimagining of the Museum’s collections, the Department considers it vital to explore the ways in which the Museum’s collections and displays have influenced (for better or worse) modern constructions of Mediterranean antiquity. We wish to invite the widest possible range of contributions and perspectives to inform this reflection. A dialogue has already begun, in a public seminar series co-organised with our neighbour, the Institute of Classical Studies (Revisiting the Ancient Mediterranean World at the British Museum). This conference, also in partnership with the ICS, aims to extend the conversation. Whether you engage with the Museum and its ancient Mediterranean collection academically, creatively, professionally, or in other ways, we invite you to help us investigate its history and plan for the future.
We will consider proposals for single or paired papers of 20-30 minutes each in length that reflect any line of research relevant to the ways in which the Museum’s ancient Mediterranean collections have shaped and been shaped by culture, politics and society, from the Museum’s foundation in 1753 to the present day. We particularly welcome papers on topics related to the three strands described below, which we have identified as particularly promising areas for exploration. While the focus of the conference will be on the British Museum and on the ancient Mediterranean, we also welcome proposals which introduce cross-institutional, comparative or international perspectives. Proposals for alternative formats, such as panel discussions or creative workshops, are also encouraged.
Artistic engagement
How have artists and other makers (including for example filmmakers and craftspeople) engaged with the British Museum’s collections from the ancient Mediterranean? What was the impact of the collection and its display on artistic practice, and vice-versa? The role of the Parthenon Sculptures in inspiring artists of the early nineteenth century is well-known, as is the extensive use of the Townley and later Graeco-Roman sculpture galleries for the training of artists (Jenkins 1992). There has been vibrant engagement with the classical world, in general, by modern and contemporary artists (Holmes 2017; Squire et al 2018). But there is much more to uncover about artistic engagement with the British Museum’s collection.
Literary engagement
From Lord Byron to HD and beyond, the British Museum is well-known as a site of poetic inspiration and provides a setting and reference-point in numerous works of literature (Ellis 1981; Stallings 2023). What do literary receptions make of the British Museum’s ancient Mediterranean collection? Has attention been concentrated on certain objects or tropes, and which figures and receptions have been overlooked to date? In what ways do the Museum’s collections from the ancient Mediterranean continue to inspire and provoke contemporary literature?
Scholarship and intellectual history
The role of museums in the evolution of academic disciplines is an established topic of study (Marchand 1996; Dyson 2006). We welcome papers that examine how the British Museum’s collections and galleries have been instrumental in shaping approaches to the material culture of the ancient Mediterranean, or to understandings of ancient societies more widely. How has their interrelation with academic disciplines such as Archaeology, Classics, and Art History changed over time? What have been the impacts of the British Museum’s approach to chronological, regional and thematic display, to the representation of different ethnicities, or the division of material into different curatorial departments? Have the particular strengths and omissions of the British Museum collection directed or limited the field of study of the ancient Mediterranean world?
Through all these themes and throughout the conference will be threaded questions of the Museum’s relationship with social, political and historical contexts, including colonialism, imperialism, nationalism, gender, race and class. How and why did collections from the ancient Mediterranean take on such prominence in the British Museum? To what extent has the British Museum reinforced messages of power and control? What histories have been neglected and elided? Are there also narratives of subversion and resistance to be found?
The conference will be held in-person only at Senate House (Malet St, London WC1E 7HU) from Wednesday 25th to Friday 27th February 2026. Abstracts of maximum 300 words should be submitted by Monday 16th June 2025, together with a short (100 words) speaker biography. A limited number of travel bursaries will be available to help support attendance for speakers who cannot access alternative sources of funding. Please indicate in your submission if you would need to apply for a bursary and we will be in touch with details of the separate application process.
Please send paper proposals to Dr Isobel MacDonald (IMacdonald(at)britishmuseum.org).
This conference is co-sponsored by the British Museum and the Institute of Classical Studies, University of London School of Advanced Study.
Call for Papers: 2nd International PROSOPON Workshop
University of Munich 10–12 December 2025
The PROSOPON-International Research Network is a collaborative network of prosopographical projects with a focus on the Eastern Mediterranean, 300–1600. It aims at bringing together prosopography-related projects and connecting them to other initiatives with a similar scientific scope, and promotes the dialogue between prosopographical projects and the broader scientific community with a variety of communication opportunities and platforms for the exchange of ideas and knowledge.
PROSOPON bundles together a core of projects, institutions,
and research centres, such as the Academy of Athens, Austrian Academy of
Sciences, the Institute of Classical Studies (School of Advanced Study,
University of London), the University of Edinburgh and the University of
Munich. It invites those interested in or working on medieval prosopography to
share their experiences, exchange ideas and benefit from a growing network of
individuals and institutions.
Building upon the success of the PROSOPON research initiative’s inaugural
meeting held in Edinburgh in December 2023, this second iteration of the
workshop seeks to continue the conversations begun at the first meeting. It
will to be held as a workshop at the University of Munich on 10–12 December 2025.
We invite scholars to submit proposals connected with the main themes of PROSOPON. We are particularly interested in digital medieval prosopographical research, sustainability of prosopographical data and increasing the interconnectivity of the various projects based on material from Byzantium and its neighbours.
Please send your paper proposal/project description (250 words max.), accompanied by a short CV including research interests (250 words max.), by 15 May 2025 to pros...@lists.oeaw.ac.at.
We expect to inform the selected participants by the end of June 2025. Travel and accommodation costs will be covered by the organizers.
Call for Sessions: Mary Jaharis Center Sponsored Panel, 61st International Congress on Medieval Studies
To encourage the integration of Byzantine studies within the
scholarly community and medieval studies in particular, the Mary Jaharis Center
for Byzantine Art and Culture seeks proposals for a Mary Jaharis Center
sponsored session at the 61st International Congress on Medieval Studies,
Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, May 14–16, 2026. We invite session
proposals on any topic relevant to Byzantine studies.
Session proposals must be submitted through the Mary Jaharis Center website.
The deadline for submission is May 12, 2025.
If the proposed session is approved, the Mary Jaharis Center will reimburse a
maximum of 4 session participants (presenters and moderator) up to $800 maximum
for scholars traveling from North America and up to $1400 maximum for those
traveling from outside North America. Funding is through reimbursement only;
advance funding cannot be provided. Eligible expenses include conference
registration, transportation, and food and lodging. Receipts are required for
reimbursement.
For further details and submission instructions, please visit https://maryjahariscenter.org/sponsored-sessions/61st-icms
Contact Brandie Ratliff (mjc...@hchc.edu),
Director, Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture, with any
questions.
Call for Sessions: Mary Jaharis Center Sponsored Panel, 8th Forum Medieval Art
To encourage the integration of Byzantine studies within the
scholarly community and medieval studies in particular, the Mary Jaharis Center
for Byzantine Art and Culture seeks proposals for a Mary Jaharis Center
sponsored session at the 8th Forum Medieval Art/Forum Kunst des Mittelalters,
Bochum / Dortmund, September 23–26, 2026. The biannual colloquium is organized
by the Deutsche Verein für Kunstwissenschaft e.V.
The theme for the 8th Forum Medieval Art is Work: Traces, Constellations,
Valuations. From a region with a significant medieval character and a
post-industrial present we want to address the question whether the term “work”
could be of any benefit when applied to the practices of medieval art
production and their social and economic context. At the latest with the
development of urban culture in the 12th/13th century, the concept of a society
based on the division of work began to replace traditional forms of social
differentiation – a process that was theologically founded in the 12th century
and accompanied by a revaluation of art, craft and creativity.
The Mary Jaharis Center invites session proposals that fit within the Work
theme and are relevant to Byzantine studies.
Session proposals must be submitted through the Mary Jaharis Center website.
The deadline for submission is May 8, 2025.
If the proposed session is approved, the Mary Jaharis Center will reimburse a
maximum of 4 session participants (presenters and session chair) up to $500
maximum for participants traveling from locations in Germany, up to $800
maximum for participants traveling from the EU, and up to $1400 maximum for
participants traveling from outside Europe. Funding is through reimbursement
only; advance funding cannot be provided. Eligible expenses include conference
registration, transportation, and food and lodging. Receipts are required for
reimbursement.
For further details and submission instructions, please visit https://maryjahariscenter.org/sponsored-sessions/8th-forum-medieval-art
Contact Brandie Ratliff (mjc...@hchc.edu),
Director, Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture, with any questi
3. JOBS AND SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
11 fully funded PhD positions in Ancient Heritage Studies at Venice - Udine – Trieste
The doctoral program in Ancient Heritage of the Universities of Venice, Udine and Trieste, is one of the largest of its kind. It offers this year (start: September 2025; application deadline: May 7th, 2025) 11 fully funded PhD positions:
- 10 are aimed at candidates with proposals falling into one or more of our three main areas of research - broadly speaking:
* Greek and Latin philology, literature and linguistics, papyrology, palaeography etc.
* ancient history of the Mediterranean, including Greece, Rome and the Ancient Near East, as well as epigraphy, history of religions, numismatics etc.
* pre- and proto-historic, Near Eastern, Greek, Roman, Italic, and Medieval archaeology.
- 1 is funded by the IIT (Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia - Centre for Cultural Heritage Technology) in relation to the project “Shaping Knowledge in the Ancient Near East. Analysis of scribal practices and habits in the Library of Ashurbanipal cuneiform tablets through Machine Learning” run by Paola Corò (Univ. of Venice).
Prospective candidates must have obtained their first degree no more than 10 years before applying.
The admission procedure is two-step:
- first, a written exam to be taken in person in Venice on June 3rd, 2025 (translation from Greek or Latin for those applying for the philological curriculum; an essay on a given historical or archaeological topic for those applying for the respective areas, or for the IIT position);
- candidates with a score of at least 24/35 in the written test will then be admitted to an oral interview (to be held, either in person or via Zoom, on June 16-18, 2025) focusing on their research proposal and previous experience.
Both the written and the oral exams may be taken in English. The PhD program, however, is run and taught in Italian; proficiency in English is required at B2 level, and knowledge of one further European language is mandatory.
PhD students will have plenty of time to study; their mobility during their doctoral training is strongly encouraged (and supported); they will take part in the “doctoral weeks” organised every year by each of the three universities, as well as in a number of other activities.
All the details can be found at the following links (see esp. pp. 34-36 of the Italian call, bzw. 32-33 of the English one):
Italian: https://www.unive.it/web/it/259/bando-annuale
English: https://www.unive.it/web/en/2161/annual-call
For any further doubts that may arise you can write (administrative issues) to the office in charge of the admission procedure: phd.app...@unive.it
or (scientific issues) to the Coordinator of the doctoral program: f.po...@unive.it
Smarthistory post-doc in Art of the Islamic World
Smarthistory (an online based nonprofit “committed to making the history of art accessible to more people, in more places” that works largely with Khan Academy, see here) is seeking applications for a one-year Macaulay Family Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow to develop public art history content in the area of the arts of the Islamic world. This is a one-year full-time position, beginning September 2025. Applicants will have a Ph.D. in art history (earned within the last three years) as well as teaching experience."
Applications are due April 30. More information and application form can be found on their website here.
The Patrum Lumen Sustine Foundation (CH-Basel) - Conference funding opportunity
The Patrum Lumen Sustine Foundation (CH-Basel) is offering funding for scientific conferences and publications.
The content of the initiatives should be related to the following areas:
Classics/Greek and Latin Literature, Classical Archeology, the Archeology and Art History of the Middle Ages, and the Reception of Ancient and Medieval Culture in the Western Tradition.
Applications can be submitted immediately via e-mail to in...@patrumlumensustine.ch.
The deadline for applications is 31
May 2025.
Further information can be found here:
[Conferences]
https://patrumlumensustine.ch/en/sostegno-convegni-en/
[Publications]
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Alexander Johnston
MPhil in Late Antique and Byzantine Studies
President, Oxford University Byzantine Society
http://oxfordbyzantinesociety.wordpress.com